Mail-delivery apparatus.



J. i. MoGRATH.

Y MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 15, 1909. Q 94 ,392,Patented Jan. 11,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 3 wuemboz ANDREW. 5. Guam can PHQYO-LIYHGGFAPHER&wAswNm'cm v. c.

JOHN J. McGrRATI-I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-DELIVERY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 11, 1910.

Application filedSeptember 15, 1909. Serial No. 517,838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. MGGRATH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Delivery Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention appertains to appliances for automatically handling mailand like matter both in the delivery of the same from a moving train andthe taking up of the mail by the train while in motion from stationsalong a given route.

The invention contemplates means for delivering a series of sacks orcontainers holding mail or other matter from a moving car to a catcheror crane at a station or place along the line of railway. The delivereris mounted so as to be swung outward from the car into position fordelivering the mail or other matter and means cooperating with saiddeliverer to hold the same in extended position.

The invention further contemplates novel means for receiving mail at astation and which may be set from a convenient point such as a box orother protective closure.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of constructionand combinations of parts which hereinafter will be more particularlyset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is ahorizontal section of a portion of a mail car showing a catcher anddeliverer in operative position. Fig. 2 is a front view of the partsshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lock for holding thedeliverer extended. Fig. 4c is an edge view of the lock shown in Fig. 3,together with a portion of the supporting arm of the deliverer. Fig. 5is a top plan view of the means provided at a station for receiving themail from the moving train, the dotted lines showing the position of thearm when turned to a position about parallel with the track. Fig. 6 is aview in elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a horizontalsection on the line 7-'? Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the upperportion of the stand having a portion of the arm broken away and showingthe position of the lock lever when released. Fig. 9 is a modificationof the means for releasing the lock lever.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The numeral 1 designates a portion of the side of a mail car having theusual door opening 2. A rod 3 extends across the door opening and issupported at its ends in bear ings f attached thereto. Set collars 5 secured to the rod 8 upon opposite sides of an arm 6 hold the latter inplace. The arm 6 is mounted upon the rod 3 to turn so as to swing towardand from the horizontal. A handle 7 is fitted to the inner end of thearm 6 and is adapted to be disconnected therefrom and when not in use isadapted to be suspended from a hook 8 upon the inner side of the car inconvenient position so as to be readily at hand when required for use. Adeliverer is provided at the outer end of the arm 6 and is attached atone end thereto and extends therefrom about at a right angle and isstrengthened by means of a brace 9. The deliverer 10 is in the nature ofan elongated hook the bill of which occupies a lowermost position andreceives the mail sacks or other containers 11 holding the mail or othermatter to be delivered. A catch 12 closes the space between the bill andshank portions of the hook shaped deliverer and is held in operativeposition by means of a spring 13. lVhen the arm 6 is swung intohorizontal position it is retained in place by means of a lock bar letwhich is slidably mounted in a post or other convenient portion of thecar. The active end of the lock bar 14.- is beveled was indicated mostclearly in Fig. l thereby enabling the lock bar to be pressed outward soas to clear the inner end of the arm 6 when swung downward intohorizontal position, the end of the lock bar springing into an openingformed in a side of the arm 6 so as to hold the latter extended inhorizontal position. The lock bar 1% is provided at its outer end with afork 15, the ends of the fork members having enlargements 16 formingstops to be engaged by an operating lever 17 so as to withdraw the lockbar from engage ment with the arm (3 when it is required to permit saidarm to swing into vertical posi tion. An operating lever 17 is pivotedat 18 to a part of the car between the fork members of the fork 15. Aspring 19 serves normally to hold the lock bar let projected intoengagement with the arm 6.

The catcher 20 may be of any usual construction and is mounted upon therod 3 so as to turn thereon or therewith as may be found mostadvantageous. The catcher and the deliverer face in opposite directionsthis being essential both to take up and to deliver the mail by a movingtrain. The catcher and the deliverer may be independently operated sothat either may be swung outward into operative position in case theother is not required for immediate use.

At the station or place along the railway where mail is to be receivedor delivered a platform 22 is erected and upon the same is mounted astand 23 the same consisting of a hollow column having an expanded baseand an extended top 24 the latter forming a support for an arm 25 whichis attached'to a vertical shaft 26 mounted within the stand 23 andadapted to coiiperate with controlling devices which hereinafter will bemore fully described. The inner end of the arm 25 is slotted andreceives a hand latch 27 of right angular formation, the vertical memberof the hand latch adapted to engage a notched extension 28 at one sideof the stand 23 so as to hold the arm 25 at a right angle to the lengthof the track. A catcher 29 is pivoted at 30 to the arm 25 and isextended at one end to which one end of a contractile spring 31 isattached the opposite end of said spring being connected to the innerend of the arm 25 and preferably to an extended arm of the pin whichpivotally connects the hand latch 27 to the arm 25. The catcher 29resembles a fork the members of which embrace opposite sides of the arm25. A pin 32 connects the members of the fork 29 and is adapted to beengaged by an extension of a lever 34 pivoted at 35 to an extension ofthe arm 25. The outer end of the lever 34 is forked and is adapted toengage a guard 36 projected at right angles from the outer end of thearm 25. The sacks or containers 11 holding the mail are caught betweenthe guard 36 and the catcher 29. The lever 34 extends across the spaceformed between the guard 36 and the catcher 29 and is adapted to beengaged by a sack or container whereby the extension 33 is disengagedfrom the pin 32 thereby permitting the spring 31 to come into play andforce the outer end of the catcher 29 toward the guard 36 therebyretaining the sacks or containers in place. The lever 34 is pressedforward by means of a spring 37.

A brake wheel 38 is fast to the lower portion of the shaft 26 and abrake shoe 39 is arranged to cotiperate therewith and is carried uponthe horizontal arm of a bell crank 40. The bell crank 40 is pivoted at41 and is connected at 42 with a connecting bar 43. The connecting bar43 may be of any length and is attached at the end remote from the standwith an operating lever 44. A bell crank 45 has its vertical memberconnected to the bar 43 and its horizontal member to a i l l verticalbar 46 which extends upwardly alongside the stand and is mounted insuitable brackets attached thereto, the upper end of the bar 46 beingattached to a releasing device 47 adapted to disengage the verticalmember of the hand latch 27 from the extension 28 of the stand 23. Aspring 48 mounted upon the bar 46 normally exerts a downward pressurethereon so as to hold the releasing device 47 in normal position and outof action from the vertical member of the hand latch 27. The upper endof the releasing device 47 is provided with a beveled head 49 which isadapted to engage an inclined wall or portion 50 of the extension 28whereby as the releasing device 47 is moved upward it is at the sametime pressed outward by cooperation of the inclined portions of the head49 and 50 of the wall thereby disengaging the hand latch from the head24 of the stand so that the arm 25 may turn freely. Upon operating thelever 44 the brake shoe 39 and the releasing device 47 aresimultaneously operated thereby releasing the shaft 26 and the arm 25whereby both are free to turn readily. The lower end of the shaft 26 isprovided with a crank arm 51 which is connected at its outer end with abar or rod 52 which in turn is attached to an operating lever 53 locatedat some distance from the stand to admit of the arm 25 beingconveniently moved from the desired point such as a box or station. Aplate 54 is attached to the end of the bar 52 and has a curved slot 55to receive a pin at the outer end of the arm 51 whereby when the lever53 is moved to set the arm 25 the latter may move independently of theoperating levers to the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device whichI now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

In the modification shown in Fig. 9, the bar 46 comprises sections 46and 46". The section 46 has connection with the bell crank and thesection 46 is mounted in keepers attached to the stand 23. The head 49is beveled upon its outer side in an opposite direction to the bevel ofthe head shown in Fig. 8, hence, there is no necessity for hinging thepart carrying the head to the member 46 since the inclined portion ofthe head makes direct contact with the vertical member of the hand latch27. The sections he and 11,43 are mounted to operate in direct lines,the section l6 being held in normal position by the spring 48, in themanner stated. A stop 56 is provided upon the upper end of the stand 23to engage with the arm and limit its movement when turned to bring theguard 36 in operative position.

I claim 1. In combination an arm mounted to swing in a vertical planeabout a horizontal axis. a slid-ably mounted lock bar for holding saidarm in horizontal position, a fork at one end of the lock bar, a springnor mally pressing the lock bar forward and an operating lever for thelock bar pivoted between the fork members thereof and adapted to engageextensions of the fork members to effect release of the lock bar fromthe pivoted arm upon moving the operating lever in either direction.

2. In combination, an arm, a guard extended therefrom, a catcherpivotally mounted upon the arm and adapted to cooperate with the guard,a spring normally exerting a pressure upon the catcher to throw itsouter end toward the guard, a spring actuated lever mounted upon the armand adapt ed to engage the catcher to hold the same away from the guard,said lever adapted to be engaged by the mail at the time of clelivery toeffect release of the catcher where by the same is thrown toward theguard to retain the mail in place when delivered.

In combination, an arm mounted to swing about a vertical axis andprovided with a catcher, a hand latch for securing said arm indetermined position, a releasing device for liberating said hand latch,a brake mechanism cooperating with said pivoted arm to control themovements thereof and operating means for simultaneously actuating saidreleasing device and brake mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. MCGRATH.

Vitnesses DAVID FLEMING, H. R. SCHLIOHTER.

